Search for Escondido gunman unsuccessful

ESCONDIDO  SWAT officers conducted an extensive search Thursday for a gunman who they say threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend and her children and later tried to kill two police officers who were pursuing him.

Escondido SWAT activity

Police identified the man as Sergio Lopez, 25, of Escondido. Court records show Lopez is a documented gang member with a criminal history and is on probation.

The search began at the Escondido Terrace Mobile Home Park on Oak Hill Drive off San Pasqual Valley Road about 12:30 a.m. when a patrol officer spotted Lopez and began to chase him on foot, police Lt. Mike Loarie said. It was called off about 5:15 p.m.

As he was running away, Lopez turned and fired at two officers and a canine, Loarie said.

He said Lopez shot twice. The officers did not return fire.

Officers started looking for Lopez about 8 p.m. Wednesday after his former girlfriend, who had a restraining order against him, came to the police station and said she was a domestic violence victim, Loarie said.

Escondido SWAT officers and a Sheriff’s Department SWAT team formed a perimeter around the mobile home park and conducted a door-to-door search of the neighborhood, which has about 80 homes and a community center.

“There are a thousand places to hide in there,” Loarie said.

About 10:45 a.m., a resident on San Pasqual Valley Road reported seeing a man across the street from the mobile home park who was out of breath. Police later identified the man as Lopez, Loarie said.

Officers then broadened the search beyond the mobile home park and had a helicopter searching from overhead.

Residents in the area were asked to stay inside their homes, lock their doors and windows, and be vigilant. If they hear or see anything suspicious, they are asked to immediately call 911.

“We will have an officer at the door in seconds,” Loarie said.

People who live on Oak Hill Drive were allowed to leave their homes and were allowed to return when the incident concluded.

Francisco Resendiz, 17, and his two brothers, ages 7 and 8, live in an apartment complex next door to the mobile home park. They heard what was going on and decided to stay home from school, Resendiz said. “It was kinda scary, kinda creepy,” the teen said. The boys’ mother has since come home from work and the family has left the apartment.

One Oak Hill resident said he had been sitting in his truck across the street since he tried to come home about 2:45 a.m. after bowling. “They said I could go someplace else or park across the street so I parked over here and I’ve been watching ever since,” Stephen Foster said. Foster said he was passing the time listening to music and the radio.

Police shut down Oak Hill Drive between San Pasqual Valley Road and Rose Street while the search was under way. Loarie said Carlsbad SWAT members joined the search to relieve some of the officers who were at the mobile home park since Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.

Lopez is described as Hispanic, 5 feet 7 inches tall and 130 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

Court records show that in December 2010, Lopez pleaded guilty to charges of using force against his girlfriend and of interfering with the investigation of a peace officer.

He was given three years’ probation and sentenced to serve 270 days in jail. He also was ordered to stay away from his girlfriend. Last year, on Nov. 14, a warrant was issued for his arrest, but the court file does not explain why.

Lopez has twice been convicted of assault with a deadly weapon, in 2005 and again in 2006.

In 2005, he was convicted of assaulting a man with a baseball bat. The 2006 conviction led to his being sentenced to four years in state prison.

Court documents state that Lopez and three other young men stabbed a man in Escondido who they considered “a snitch” because the victim had called police to say his car had been stolen. The victim survived.

According to a declaration in support of an arrest warrant by Escondido police, Lopez is a documented gang member who goes by the moniker “Downer.”

Both convictions are considered strikes California’s three strikes law, which means another arrest could lead to a life prison sentence.